The school bell rang, and students poured out of the classroom like a tide. Nakamori Aoko packed her bag and, just as she stepped out of the teaching building, she saw four of Inspector Nakamori's men waiting at the school gate, dressed in plain clothes but with upright statures and sharp eyes. Like a solid human wall, they immediately surrounded her, isolating her from the outside world, clearly to prevent her from trying to find Kanjuro again.
"Miss, please come straight home with us." The guard at the head spoke in a respectful tone, yet with an unquestionable firmness.
Aoko looked at their prepared stance, feeling a wave of powerlessness and frustration. Being guarded like a prisoner, without even a bit of space to freely seek the truth, the feeling almost suffocated her. She knew breaking through by force was impossible; the people her father sent were all elites from the police force.
She lowered her head, her hands instinctively clutching her abdomen, her brow furrowed tightly as a pained expression appeared on her face. Her voice also became weak:
"I... my stomach suddenly hurts so much... I might have eaten something bad... Can I go to that convenience store over there to buy some medicine first? It'll just take a moment..."
She pointed to a convenience store not far across from the school gate, her eyes carrying a plea. The guards exchanged looks, somewhat hesitant. Aoko was, after all, Inspector Nakamori's only daughter; if she was truly unwell, they didn't dare be too forceful.
"This... Miss, we will accompany you." The lead guard finally relented, but still maintained high vigilance. The four formed a perimeter, following Aoko toward the convenience store.
Just as they reached the entrance of the convenience store, and their attention was momentarily distracted by the light reflecting off the glass door—
Only one thought was in Aoko's mind: Now! I must shake them off! I must find Kanjuro and get the truth!
This thought burned in her heart like wildfire, carrying a bridge-burning desperation and a near-obsessive thirst for the truth. Without even thinking, her body seemed to react instinctively!
The hand that was clutching her stomach suddenly retracted, and her slender body instantly exploded with incredible speed and power like a leopard! She didn't run forward, but instead suddenly ducked and slid sideways, her movements incredibly fluid, precisely slipping through the gap just as two guards were about to close in!
"Miss!"
"Stop her!"
The guards reacted extremely quickly, immediately reaching out to grab her. However, at this moment, Aoko seemed like a different person. Her perception became exceptionally sharp; the sound of the wind from behind and the trajectory of the reaching arms were all clearly reflected in her mind.
She didn't even look back, relying solely on intuition, her elbow striking backward as if it had eyes!
"Ugh!" A guard trying to grab her backpack strap let out a muffled groan, feeling a sharp, numbing pain in his wrist. He was actually momentarily robbed of his strength by her seemingly casual strike.
Another guard lunged from the side. Aoko's footwork shifted in a nimble spin, not only evading the capture but also swinging her backpack with the rotation so that it hit the man's face with a "thwack." Though not heavy, it successfully obstructed his movement.
All of this happened in a flash! By the time the other two guards finally reacted and tried to intercept her from the front, Aoko was already like a bird escaped from its cage, sprinting several paces out of their encirclement and quickly disappearing around the street corner.
The four well-trained guards stood frozen on the spot, looking at each other with faces full of disbelief!
Was that... Miss Aoko?!
That speed, that reaction, those seemingly casual yet precise and effective evasive maneuvers... This was not the fragile daughter of the Inspector they knew who needed protection! It was as if she were a rigorously trained secret agent or... someone with an extraordinary constitution!
Aoko herself was also stunned.
She stopped in a deserted alleyway, leaning her back against the cold wall, gasping for air. Her heart was pounding wildly from the intense sprint and that incredible explosion of energy. She looked down at her hands in disbelief, recalling those eerily fluid movements and the sudden surge of power that far exceeded her imagination... "That... I did that?" she murmured to herself, her voice trembling.
She clearly hadn't undergone any combat training, so why could she easily evade the encirclement of four adult men? That feeling as if her body knew how to act on its own, that instant explosion of speed and power... where did it come from?
A terrifying thought, closely linked to her dreams and the mystery of her birth, slithered into her mind like a venomous snake—
Could it be... could that dream... not be entirely fake?
Could Kanjuro... really have some extraordinary connection to her?
And this inexplicable power... is it the 'legacy' he left for her?
This realization caused her a dizzying wave of fear, but at the same time, a deeper, almost uncontrollable curiosity and desire to investigate grew like weeds in her heart.
She had shaken off the guards and possessed a power that defied common logic... Did this mean she finally had the ability to face the source of all this chaos and pain—Kanjuro?
Aoko clenched her slightly trembling fists, her eyes flashing with fear, confusion, and a ray of resolve as she was pushed forward by fate. She no longer hesitated, identified the direction, and began walking toward the Suzuki Mansion, which loomed like a crouching giant beast.
Relying on that inexplicably surging power and a heart full of resolve, Nakamori Aoko fled all the way until she finally arrived at the magnificent Suzuki Mansion (now Ye Xiao's Palace) situated halfway up the mountain, which was shrouded in an invisible haze. The massive wrought-iron gates were tightly shut, and the towering walls seemed to separate two different worlds.
As soon as she approached the gate, several guards in black suits with cold, sharp gazes immediately emerged from the shadows. They were not the people Inspector Nakamori sent to protect her, but Kanjuro's subordinates, emitting a dangerous aura like unsheathed blades, completely different from ordinary bodyguards.
"Halt! Private property, no trespassing!" A guard stepped forward, his voice cold with an unquestionable warning. The others formed a loose encirclement, their sharp gazes locked onto Aoko as if she were a small animal that had strayed into a predator's territory.
The surrounding atmosphere instantly became heavy and oppressive. Passing vehicles even instinctively sped up to leave, clearly knowing who the owner of this Mansion was and the terror he represented.
But Aoko was now pushed to the brink; the temptation of the truth and the fear of her own changes overrode everything. She clenched her fists, and though her heart was pounding in her chest, she stubbornly tilted her head up, her voice trembling with agitation:
"I don't care! I want to see Kanjuro! Let me in! I have things to ask him!"
The guards' eyes sharpened; they clearly weren't going to let her have her way. Two of them stepped forward, preparing to forcibly take her away.
Just as their hands were about to touch Aoko's shoulders—
A lazy, smiling voice seemed to press against everyone's eardrums, coming clearly from deep within the Mansion, penetrating the thick walls and distance to ring directly in everyone's minds:
"Aoko..."
It was Kanjuro's voice!
That voice carried a strange magic, causing all the guards to freeze instantly and making Aoko's whole body shudder.
"Have you finally... decided to face me?"
The voice still carried a smile, yet it seemed to contain endless darkness and control. Then, Kanjuro's words fell like a final judgment:
"Yesterday's dream was real."
A brief pause, as if to let this information completely shatter Aoko's psychological defenses, and then, the title she subconsciously feared and resisted, yet had vaguely guessed, was clearly uttered:
"My... daughter."
!!!
The word "daughter" exploded in Aoko's mind like a clap of thunder! Her pupils contracted suddenly, and her body swayed, almost losing her footing. The dream... was it real?! Was she truly Kanjuro's...?!
However, before she could recover from this massive shock, an even more terrifying scene unfolded!
The moment Kanjuro's voice fell, in the shadows of the Mansion's massive carved iron gates and the corners of the surrounding walls, countless thick, slimy, dark tentacles shimmering with an ominous spectral light erupted suddenly, like monsters surging from the depths of hell!
They were as fast as lightning, silent and stealthy, yet carrying an aura that could destroy everything!
"Ugh—!"
"What is that?!"
"Help—!"
Those well-trained, extraordinarily skilled guards didn't even have time to react or let out a full scream before they were instantly entangled, pierced, and strangled by those horrific tentacles! The sickening sound of bones shattering rang out in a dense barrage, and blood sprayed wildly into the air like ink, staining the solemn gates and the surrounding walls a shocking, vivid red!
In just a single breath, the guards who were alive and well moments ago, trying to block Aoko, had all turned into twisted, broken corpses lying on the ground, and a thick smell of blood instantly filled the air.
After completing the slaughter, all the tentacles retreated as quickly as a tide, vanishing into the shadows as if they had never appeared. They left behind only a mess of corpses and Nakamori Aoko, who stood frozen in place, her face as pale as paper, her whole body cold as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
She was paralyzed where she stood, her mind a complete blank, with only that hellish, bloody scene before her eyes and Kanjuro's words echoing wildly like a curse.
"My daughter..."
"My daughter..."
"My daughter..."
The truth was presented to her nakedly in the most cruel and bloody way. The man who had given her life (and perhaps that eerie power) was also a demon who viewed human life as grass and controlled terrifying powers.
Accompanied by a heavy creak, the iron gates slowly and automatically opened a crack inward before Aoko's despairing eyes. Behind the gates was a deep, dark corridor, like the throat of a giant beast, waiting for her to enter.
Kanjuro's voice rang out again, carrying a hint of pleasant anticipation, as if welcoming a child home:
"Come in, Aoko. Let's... have a good talk." Guided by an unseen force, or perhaps pulled by that dark power originating from her bloodline, Nakamori Aoko finally arrived at the Suzuki Mansion (now Ye Xiao's Palace), which stood in Central Tokyo yet seemed isolated from the rest of the world. The moment she crossed the high walls and stepped into the courtyard, a thick, nauseating smell of blood hit her!
She watched in horror as many figures in black suits lay scattered along both sides of the path leading to the main house—they were either sent by Suzuki Jirokichi or were outlaws coveting the bounty. Now they were silent, their blood soaking the meticulously manicured lawn, forming a hellish tableau. Suppressing the urge to vomit, Aoko's face was pale and her legs weak, but the obsession deep within her supported her as she stepped through this mountain of corpses and sea of blood, one step at a time, toward the wide-open main door that resembled the mouth of a giant beast... Inside the door was a scene of extreme luxury and decadence.
The high ceiling of the hall was painted with Religious Murals that nevertheless exuded a sense of profanity. Crystal Chandeliers reflected a cold light, illuminating a space spacious enough to host a ball. The air was filled with a strange mixture of expensive incense and a faint, lingering scent of blood.
At the end of the hall, on a long, ornate chair that resembled a throne, Kanjuro was leaning back lazily. He wore a loose, dark silk robe and held a glass of wine as red as blood, a pleasant smile on his handsome face as if he were enjoying a play.
Around him, sitting or standing, were the women Aoko found both familiar and strange—
Ran Mouri and Suzuki Sonoko were like docile maids, kneeling on the carpet on either side of the long chair, gently massaging his legs.
Akemi Miyano and Ai Haibara (Shiho) sat on a sofa a bit further away. Akemi's eyes were somewhat hollow, while Haibara Ai lowered her gaze, her expression unreadable, radiating a cold sense of detachment.
Miyano Elena, Tomoko Suzuki, and Ayako stood behind Kanjuro like loyal female officials, their faces bearing a kind of near-numb obedience.
And Eri Kisaki—the queen of lawyers who commanded the courtroom—was actually here too! She stood behind and to the side of Kanjuro's throne, wearing a proper suit, but her eyes were complex. When her gaze met the intruding Aoko's, her forced composure shattered instantly!
"Aoko... my daughter..."
Eri Kisaki's voice trembled with unbelievable excitement and a long-suppressed pain. She subconsciously took a step forward, and hot tears burst from her eyes without warning, sliding down her well-maintained cheeks.
"You've finally... come..."
That call was like a thunderclap, exploding in Aoko's mind!
Daughter?!
Lawyer Eri Kisaki... called her daughter?!
That dream... that terrifying dream she had refused to believe and tried so hard to deny... could it be true?!
Aoko was frozen in place, her whole body cold and her mind a complete blank. She looked at the tearful Eri Kisaki, at Kanjuro on the throne with his demonic smile, and at the women around them with their various expressions as if they had already accepted their fate... The whole world spun before her eyes, and all her perceptions were completely overturned at this moment.
Kanjuro admired the extreme shock, confusion, and collapse of her worldview on Aoko's face, as if savoring the most mellow wine. He gently swirled the wine glass in his hand, the crimson liquid leaving a viscous trail on the glass.
"Welcome home, Aoko."
He smiled, his voice gentle yet carrying a hair-raising power of control.
"Though it's a bit late... welcome to the real world. Welcome to your 'home'."
Home? This place maintained by blood, lies, twisted relationships, and terrifying power was actually her home? Aoko looked at Eri Kisaki's outstretched, slightly trembling hand and at Kanjuro's all-seeing eyes, and a massive sense of despair and absurdity completely overwhelmed her.
The truth she had been pursuing was now presented to her nakedly in the most cruel and direct way, leaving her with no room to escape.
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